resettlement
ree-SET-ul-munt
/ˌriːˈset.əl.mənt/
The process of settling again in a new area, particularly after being forced to leave home due to disaster, war, or urban planning.
Refers to long-term or permanent integration into a new community, unlike temporary sheltering.
The story behind the word. Combines the prefix 're-' with 'settle' (from Old English 'setlan', meaning to seat or establish). The term grew in modern geopolitical usage during the 20th century to describe formal international efforts to integrate refugees.
Word relationships
- relocation: 'Relocation' can be quick or short-term, whereas 'resettlement' implies permanent community building and social integration.
- repatriation: 'Repatriation' specifically means returning people back to their original home country.
- displacement: 'Displacement' is the process of being uprooted, whereas 'resettlement' is re-establishing stability.
Commonly confused with
- settlement: A settlement is a newly founded colony or payment resolution; resettlement is re-establishing displaced people in a new area.
Word family
- resettle (verb): To settle in a new place or cause displaced people to do so.
Collocations
- resettlement program
- refugee resettlement
- resettlement plan
- resettlement agency
Example sentences
- "The international agency funded a major resettlement program to help flood victims build permanent homes on safe ground." Post-disaster reconstruction policy
Memory hook
RE-SETTLING means making a new home SETTLED again. Settling into a permanent home again.
When not to use
Do not use for a weekend stay at a holiday cottage.
Fun facts
- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees considers resettlement one of three durable solutions for refugee crises.
Related words
Explore more words
settle, migration, repatriation, immigrate, redistribution, exile
Also appears in
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